McDowell basketball standout Tyler Grove reaches milestone in win over Meadville
Tyler Grove enjoyed the moment, but he was ready to get back to work.
After scoring another off-balance bucket to give McDowell an 18-point lead, the game was stopped momentarily to celebrate Grove reaching 1,000 career points on Tuesday.
He thanked his teammates, accepted a ceremonial basketball and tossed it to his family before immediately gathering his teammates to get them refocused on the game.
“It is definitely a great milestone to achieve but really I'm happy the way we played as a team and got the win,” Grove said.
Grove finished with 27 points on Tuesday as McDowell earned a dominant 77-64 victory over Meadville in Region 7 boys basketball action. He became the 13th boys basketball player to reach 1,000 career points in McDowell history and the first since William Jeffress, the program's all-time scorer.
“Tyler is a very good basketball player obviously and now he goes up on the wall for a great accomplishment,” said McDowell coach Kevin O'Connor. “He puts in the time before and after practice, during practice and in his own time with his dad. He deserves this honor.”
Grove is up to 1,008 points in his career and he is the third player to do it in the past 10 years. Jeffress graduated from McDowell in 2020 with 1,673 points and Michael Beck graduated in 2014 with 1,186.
“They were part of great teams as well and I know this is an individual accomplishment but it's all about the team around you and how they help you get better.”
Grove is averaging more than 23 points per game as one of the top scorers in District 10. He has stepped up this season as McDowell lost guard Blayze Myers to a football injury and guard Nando Mirarchi, who transferred to Cathedral Prep. McDowell travels to Prep on Friday to end the regular season with a chance to win a region title.
Erie (15-6) and McDowell (18-3) are tied for first at 9-2, while Prep (11-10) is in third at 8-3 and Meadville (12-9) is fourth at 7-4. Erie hosts Meadville on Friday and if the Royals and Trojans both win, they'll share the region title.
McDowell all-time scorers
McDowell boys basketball all-time scorers with graduation year and total points:
William Jeffress (2020) 1,673
Sean Smiley (2005) 1,426
Justin Shouse (2000) 1,337
Michael Beck (2014) 1,186
Lucas Marsh (1994) 1,182
Jim Delsandro (1993) 1,119
Doug Birchard (1978) 1,101
Zach Spronatti (2008) 1,086
Mike Dowling (1982) 1,070
Jeff Morrow (1986) 1,057
JJ Delsandro (2001) 1,054
Chuck Britton (1971) 1,049
Tyler Grove (2024) 1,008*
*active
Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNreisenweber.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Tyler Grove reaches 1,000 career points for McDowell High School
